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Broke as a Joke and Still Waiting on a Punchline

The idea of being broke has shifted in recent years, at least it’s more noticeable thanks to social media. You often see people complaining about money but then five seconds later see their weekend at Disneyland or a mention of new shoes. These are the people real broke people wish to be. They want to be broke because of nice things, not just broke because their jobs don’t stack up in comparison. The thing is, those people with nice things see themselves as struggling financially because we’ve become a society that is used to having the best. Living with an outdated iPhone, oh please. That could never be. Why would you have the iPhone 6.GPS XP when you could have the new and improved one that does all of the same things as the last 47 models, but has a screen that appears to be the size of a home television? Yeah, it won’t even fit in a carry-on suitcase, but so what? It’s the newer one, so it’s the better one.

A lot of us aren’t really broke, we’re just a spoiled generation. Like Veruca Salt, we want it all and when we have just one thing less than “all,” we view our lives as incomplete and complain. Albert Ellis says in Why Am I Always Broke, “Being rational is difficult for most of us. As human beings, we are continually bombarded by stimuli which make us want to feel, think and behave in irrational and unproductive ways,” meaning we, “…spend unnecessarily when we feel unjustly deprived of our ‘needs.’” Which you could argue is the reason behind a lot of those adults still living at home. If they didn’t spend what they earned on trips and clothes, they could very well get out of their parents house, BUT they think they don’t have enough to live on their own because at the end of the day they’re busy spending on things they want, instead of need.

People who are really broke though, they are stuck buying what they actually need and not always what they want. The Dollar Tree is their safe haven, they haven’t had their hair touched by a professional in years and they live through their friends to go on vacations. Broke not because they have more than they need, but broke because well, there are a ton of reasons but it’s usually because they don’t make enough to keep up with the high demands when it comes to the cost of living. Tomorrow we’ll meet a mom who works but still struggles to keep food on the table, not only for herself – but for her family as well.

So think about it, are you really struggling financially because you’re not making enough OR is it because you just went on a shopping spree?

The Highs and Lows of Being Broke

The dictionary defines “broke” as “having completely run out of money.” Which means a lot of us are kind of okay, right?

The NCCP stated that in 2014, a family of four living with an income of $48,016 was considered low-income. Really? Oh lord, my family had WAY less than half of that when I was growing up.

According to Cheat Sheet, more than 20% of Americans receive public assistance.

To help save, you should save about 10%-15% of what you take in every month.

Check here to see what millennials are making on average in each state. If you’re making more, consider yourself lucky.

Tomorrow a mom making the most out of the hand she’s been dealt, what being broke means to me, a look at life on public assistance and more to come this week!